What Does Bar Stand For in Law?

Last reviewed: October 5, 2026. This article is general information, not legal advice. Admission rules differ by state, so check your state's bar admission agency for the current requirements.

You've probably heard someone say they "passed the bar" or are "a member of the bar", and wondered what the word actually stands for. It's a fair question, because it sounds like it should be an acronym. It isn't, and its real history is more interesting than any acronym.

Short answer: "Bar" doesn't stand for anything; it's a plain English word for a railing or barrier. In law it refers to the railing that separated the working area of a court (or of the old English Inns of Court) from everyone else. Over time "the bar" came to mean the legal profession itself, so being "admitted to the bar" means being licensed to practise law in a particular state or jurisdiction.

Where the word "bar" comes from

According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, "bar" in the sense of "the whole body of lawyers" is recorded from the 1550s. It comes from the railing that separated the benchers from the hall in the Inns of Court, the societies in London that trained and admitted lawyers. Students who reached a certain standing were "called" to the bar to take part in the important exercises of the house.

After about 1600, people popularly took it to mean the bar in a courtroom: the wooden railing around the judge's area, where prisoners stood to be arraigned and where barristers stood to plead. The word "barrister" itself comes from this legal sense of "bar".

You can still see the idea in most American courtrooms today. There's usually a rail or low partition between the public seating and the front of the room, where the judge, jury, lawyers, parties and witnesses work. Lawyers and parties go "past the bar"; spectators stay behind it.

That history explains a few common phrases:

"Called to the bar": the traditional English and Commonwealth phrase for becoming a barrister. (If you're curious about English barristers, see our explainer on what "silk" means in British law.)
"Admitted to the bar": the usual American phrase for getting your licence to practise.
"Bench and bar": judges (the bench) and lawyers (the bar).
"Disbarred": removed from the bar, meaning the lawyer loses their licence.

Admission to the bar: how lawyers get licensed

In the US, there's no single national law licence. Each state (plus DC and the territories) decides who may practise law there. The details vary, but most jurisdictions require:

A law degree, usually a Juris Doctor (JD). If you're at the start of that road, our guide on how many law schools to apply to may help.
The MPRE, a multiple-choice ethics exam written by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE). NCBE says it's required for admission in all but two US jurisdictions (Wisconsin and Puerto Rico), and that Connecticut and New Jersey accept a law school professional responsibility course instead of a passing score.
The bar examination for that jurisdiction.
A character and fitness review, a background check into things like honesty, past conduct and financial responsibility.

Once admitted, a lawyer is licensed in that jurisdiction only. Practising in another state usually means sitting another exam, transferring a score, or qualifying for admission on motion, depending on that state's rules.

The bar exam today: UBE and NextGen

The bar exam is a multi-day test of legal knowledge and skills. NCBE coordinates the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE), which is made up of three parts:

the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), a multiple-choice test;
the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE); and
two Multistate Performance Test (MPT) tasks, which ask you to complete a realistic lawyering assignment.

Because the UBE is uniformly administered, graded and scored, it produces a portable score that can be transferred to other UBE jurisdictions, subject to each one's minimum score and time limits.

The exam is changing. NCBE's NextGen UBE was first administered in July 2026 in a first group of jurisdictions, and NCBE says most jurisdictions will move to it between July 2026 and July 2028. The legacy UBE is being administered through February 2028. If you're planning to sit the exam, check NCBE's adoption chart and your own jurisdiction's bar admission agency for which version you'll take.

State bars and bar associations

"Bar" also appears in the names of organisations, which can be confusing:

State bars. Many states have a state bar association, usually created by state statute, and in many states lawyers must belong to it to practise. These bodies often handle licensing administration, continuing education and lawyer discipline, which is why you might file a complaint about a lawyer with your state bar.
Voluntary bar associations. The American Bar Association (ABA) and many city, county and specialty bar associations are professional organisations. Joining one is a professional choice; it's admission by the state, not membership of an association, that lets a lawyer practise.

If you're checking whether someone is really a lawyer, the most reliable step is to search the attorney directory of the state bar or licensing authority where they claim to practise.

What "Esq." means

You'll often see "Esq." (short for "esquire") after a lawyer's name. Cornell's Wex explains that in the US, esquire is a courtesy title given to a lawyer when addressing them in writing, as in "John Smith, Esq." Traditionally, it's considered incorrect for lawyers to add it to their own name, although plenty of firms do it on letterhead.

In England, "esquire" doesn't carry this professional meaning; it's a mostly obsolete courtesy title for a man with no other title. And in the US, "Esq." isn't a qualification or licence in itself. What matters is whether the person is admitted to the bar.

Is BAR an acronym?

No. "Bar" is an ordinary English word, not an abbreviation. It refers to a railing or barrier, and over centuries came to mean the legal profession itself. Explanations that turn it into an acronym aren't supported by the word's history.

What does it mean to "pass the bar"?

It means passing the bar examination in a state or other jurisdiction. Passing is only one step: you usually also need a law degree, a passing score on an ethics exam (the MPRE in most places) and a character and fitness review before you are admitted.

Is the bar exam the same in every state?

No. Each jurisdiction sets its own rules. Many use the Uniform Bar Examination, which produces a score you can transfer to other UBE jurisdictions. From July 2026 to July 2028 most jurisdictions are moving to the NextGen UBE, and the legacy UBE is being offered through February 2028.

What does Esq. mean after a lawyer's name?

In the US, "Esq." (esquire) is a courtesy title used for lawyers in written correspondence, as in "Jane Smith, Esq." Traditionally it is used by others, not added by a lawyer to their own name. It isn't a licence or a qualification in itself.

What is the difference between the bench and the bar?

"The bench" means the judges; "the bar" means the lawyers who practise before them. Judges are members of the bar too, but the phrase "bench and bar" separates the two roles.

Sources

Legal Information Institute (Cornell Law School), Wex, "bar": law.cornell.edu
Legal Information Institute, Wex, "bar association": law.cornell.edu
Legal Information Institute, Wex, "bar examination": law.cornell.edu
Legal Information Institute, Wex, "esquire": law.cornell.edu
Online Etymology Dictionary, "bar": etymonline.com
National Conference of Bar Examiners, Uniform Bar Examination: ncbex.org
National Conference of Bar Examiners, NextGen UBE: ncbex.org
National Conference of Bar Examiners, MPRE: ncbex.org

What Does Bar Stand For in Law? Where "the Bar" Comes From and What It Means Today